Cleanliness next to carpets for longtime cleaner

Ric's finds success in stain removal

MOSES LAKE — Ric Johnson occasionally gets a phone call on account of urine. Or red Kool-Aid. Or mustard.

"Most stains that are out there that are hard to get, I've been able to get rid of," Johnson said.

Since December 2002, Johnson has owned and operated Ric's Carpet Cleaning. A resident of Moses Lake for 24 years, he first decided to go into the business while managing some apartments.

"I was gone over the weekend and in one unit, the toilet tank broke," he recalled. "Those people were gone over the weekend, and the people below were gone for the weekend, so all three of us were gone, and this thing ran water all weekend."

Johnson called a carpet cleaner, watching him as he cleaned up. He went to work for him, doing commercial work at night, eventually moving into a full-time position. He worked at another business for about 10 or 11 years before setting out on his own.

Ric's Carpet Cleaning operates entirely out of a van.

"It's better that I come to your house — you know, I can't take the carpets with me," he said. "I do on-site cleaning."

Demand in the area keeps Johnson busy; it keeps the other carpet cleaning businesses in the area working as well, he said.

"I think we're all staying extremely busy," he said.

Johnson's equipment includes a piece of technology which enables him to steam-dry carpets within 45 minutes.

"The industry has come a long ways in the last 20 years, and this is just an upgrade from what they used to do," he said. "I've done that on berber. Berber's one of the hardest to dry, and I've gotten berber dry in 45 minutes."

For the most part, unless the part of carpet is a ground-in, well-traveled pattern, Johnson said, he can get it clean.

Born and raised in Othello, Johnson attended college in Spokane and worked in Spokane for about seven years before moving to Moses Lake in 1981.

Johnson also cleans furniture, and was recently certified by the Institute, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification to handle flood restoration.

"I've been to Connell," Johnson said when asked what his area of coverage. He also has been to Othello, Royal City, Ephrata, Elmira and possibly a place on Lake Roosevelt north of Wilbur soon. "I'll go any place. People understand that, with gas prices the way they are right now, that my prices fluctuate based on where the gas is. It's extremely high right now."

And as for Johnson's own carpets at home? A small smile plays across his lips as he answers.

"They need cleaned right now," he said. "My wife said yesterday, 'When it warms up …' I said, 'I know.' … Mine are in dire need to get cleaned, though I do clean my own."

Ric's operates Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. He also works weekends and cleans commercial sites. Ric's can be reached at 764-7220.